Promotion

Appearance

It may not be fair, but it is absolutely true, there are no second chances to make a great first impression. The way you look can be the decider when it comes to moving up the career ladder, getting a new job or meeting a new client. It also counts when making a great social impression. What we wear really does matter – make it part of your conscious self-marketing!

Adapt

Know your own style, wear it well and always adapt just enough to meet the expectations of your client, the culture of the company you work for or the social occasion you are attending – be a ‘Chameleon with Style’!

Accessories

For women, you can add jewellery, scarves, belts, bags etc. to really enhance an outfit. Accessories ensure you are able to wear the same outfit to the same place again and again and it will look different every time. They lift a less expensive outfit and add colour to a neutral outfit.
For men it is all about a good watch, a quality belt (belts should always be worn if you have belt loops!) cuff links etc.
For both men and women, always use a good quality pen and use a stylish folder or neat pad for writing notes! Avoid scraps of paper, throw away pens and worst of all – plastic carrier bags or tatty ruck sacks!

Would you be able to describe your brand (that is – who you are and what you are about) to a future employer or a new client? If you don’t know who you are and how you want to be seen how can others make the right assessment of you?

Do you know how you are perceived by others? Have you asked?

When we meet people for the first time, as much as we would like to deny it, they will make a judgement and that will happen within the first 7 – 30 seconds – how much time does that give you to tell them about yourself? First impressions are critical, you are marketing a product – YOU!

Think about how you want to be seen.

Do you know your personality type? Knowing this will not put you in a ‘box’ it will give you the tools to work with your strengths. Do you tend towards introversion? If so how can you use this thoughtful approach? If you are more extrovert, how can you use your great communication to best advantage without over whelming?

What are your strengths? Are you happiest when able to use your creativity, explore new ideas and look at developing new products or are you a great relationship builder, loving to network and build trust with future prospective clients. Maybe you’re at your best when developing a business plan, organising an event or possibly working with budgets and numbers makes your day feel really satisfying.

Do you make the most of your strengths dedicating a higher proportion of your time to areas where your feel you can really have an impact?

Do you know your personal values? If you understand what really matters to you it will help you choose the right career and look for the most suitable employers for you. If you are running your own business this understanding will help you focus on the clients you want to work with and those who will get the most from your business.

Have you really considered carefully how you dress? What does what you wear say about you? There is a chance, if we all dress in dark suits white shirts and for men sober ties we become clones and loose our personal impact. In the current market you need to fit in enough to be accepted and stand out enough to have that extra edge!

The best approach would be to research the dress code of the organisation or client you are meeting. Then dress one step up from their everyday dress code. This will ensure that you fit in, but also show that you have made an effort. Don’t forget that it is important to retain you own personal style as well, this can be done through colour – subtle style elements to your clothes or by the accessories you choose. You can express your personality through your style!

Ladies – did you know that research suggests that women who wear well applied subtle make up are paid 23% higher than those who wear none!

Gentlemen – Facial hair is now seen as more acceptable in business, but concealing the lips and mouth is still a barrier to good communication. If you are going for a beard or stubble, you’ll need to spend more time, not less, on grooming!

7. What about your body language – how do you communicate when you first meet someone? How firm is your handshake? Do you make good eye contact? Do you sit and stand confidently? Most importantly – do you smile – with your eyes too!

8. Finally – you have made a fantastic first impression you have shown that you have thought about the culture of the organisation or client you are meeting, they can see that you will indeed fit in and are able to retain and express your own personality, so now is the time to clearly express your skill strengths that align so well with the job that is on offer.

Take time to look at ‘Brand You’ whether you are changing employers, moving up through an organisation or working for yourself, understanding your brand and how others see you will lead to more inner confidence and greater personal success!

If you would like to explore your personality, understand your strengths and challenges and how to apply this to your business, maybe taking the Talent Dynamics profile with a follow up coaching session would work for you. If so give me a call 07742 445243. We can talk about how it works and if it would be useful for you.

Have you ever walked into a room and noticed someone who looks like a vibrant out going person only to be surprised when you speak to them and find it difficult to engage them in conversation? Or perhaps you have approached a very subdued looking individual and then found they are bubbly and expressive.

Whether it’s consciously or unconsciously we tend to make an initial judgement on others in the room by what we see and engage in conversation with that thought in mind.

Considering our personal style when dressing can really help to ensure that we are encouraging an approach from others that we are comfortable with and results in great communication.

So if you are naturally quiet and introverted- dressing in elegant, sophisticated styles and wearing more muted but beautifully put together colours will encourage a more questioning, calmer approach.

For those who enjoy an enthusiastic and outgoing encounter, wearing a stronger look in contrasting and more vibrant colours – perhaps including some quirkiness in style will draw in the communication that works with your personality.

So many of use think a lot about what we say and often forget the impact of how we look!

It’s January, Christmas is over another year is just starting and although I want to feel energised and full of enthusiasm for 2013, it’s not easy. Where do you find the get up and go? What will make that key difference to help spark the positivity and start to make things happen?

I know that if I allow myself to feel sluggish and hide away in my study, playing with social media and hoping that miraculously loads of business is going to come flooding my way, then 2013 is going to be a very unproductive and depressing year!

Drawing in your strengths, if you have a clear idea of what they are is the key to getting started. I know that I am best talking to people face to face as I am passionate about what I do. I do however need to have some focus when I speak to people so today I am going to focus on:

1. Who my customers will be for the next year.

2. What they want or need from me

3. How I am going to contact them

4. How I am going to let them know, what I can offer and why they will get great value working with me.

I am then going to spend some time organising my wardrobe for the new year, so that I can get out there looking and feeling great with the confidence to network with inspirational people and continue to build my business working with individuals and business teams, helping them to focus on how they spark their positivity and start to make things happen!

What are your strengths? How can you make things happen?

Do you want to make 2013 the most positive year you have ever had?

If the answer is yes, then take your key strength and use that to kick start your year! Wishing you an amazing, productive and successful 2013!

It is now many years ago for me and yet I can still remember that feeling in my stomach when I realised it was time for me to re-enter the job market after having been at home for a number of years with my children.

What could I possibly do now? I had lost all my work skills hadn’t I? On top of that, I looked and felt like a ‘Mum’ in my eyes, my wardrobe had been reduced to mainly jeans, casual skirts and tops – oh yes I did have a suit in there somewhere, but it was now about 5 years out of date and to be honest a little tight in certain places!

I could now look after children – reasonably well, but not sure I could compete in the work place. However, what I didn’t think about was all those skills I had had to learn being a mum and how they could quite easily be transferred to the work place.

Organisation – the logistics of getting children to school, on to clubs, juggling housework, cooking and being there for your other half, takes some organising!

Listening – as a mum being a great listener is something we all do and take for granted

Negotiating – well that is obviously a key skill – bedtime, eating dinner, getting homework done, and much more all take negotiation skills.

Mentoringand Coaching – finding the best way to teach, advise, and guide!

Creativity – thinking of new ways to get things done, fabulous craft work with the children, maybe you have even got involved in some interior design in your home.

These are just five skills off the top of my head that so many mums have cultivated and use daily without even thinking about it. With at times a little adaption and maybe in some areas a bit more training these skills are great assets in the work place.

As for your wardrobe – a little colour & style advice, a trip to the shops (you don’t have to spend a fortune) and you are back on track!

Your Personal Brand is the emotional finger print you leave on others!

When you are not in the room what do others say about you? What impact have you made on them? What is their perception of you?

What is a personal brand? – It is about how you present yourself in your posture, your body language, your facial expressions, your clothes and the accessories you wear as well as your attitude and communication. It is the ‘Real You’ that you want the world to see and to buy into.

Successful personal branding is about firstly knowing who you are and how you want to be seen, either as the owner of your own business or as a key member of the organisation where you work. It is then about effectively controlling and influencing how others see you and think about you. Everyone has a personal brand, however most people do not clearly understand what this is and how important it is for them in today’s world of social media and tough employment markets. Your brand is more than just marketing and promoting yourself, it needs to be about the whole you!

Your personal brand is about :

1. Being authentic – having good self-awareness – drawing on your strengths and values

2. Knowing what you want to achieve – having a clear vision

3. Presenting yourself in a conscious, coherent and consistent manner – it needs to fit together and make sense!

In the current environment it is becoming more and more important to have that extra edge, your unique personal branding can be make that difference.

As Dr Hubert Rampersad says in his paper on Authentic Personal Branding ‘ It is therefore important to be your own brand and to become the CEO of your life’

If you would to know more about how to discover your personal brand then give me a call on 07742 445243 or take a look at my Personal Branding Web page http://bit.ly/y0wIIK